Renzo
Gracie revealed that he loaned his Abu Dhabi apartment to
Paulo
Costa and his team ahead of
UFC 294.
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“He was using four rooms in a local hotel with his team, and I told
him to stay in my apartment,” Gracie said.
Gracie also told Sherdog.com that Costa recently underwent surgery
for an injury on his elbow but guaranteed that the Brazilian’s
fight with Khamzat
Chimaev would still proceed as planned.
“Costa had a little problem on his elbow that required a small
surgery,” Gracie said. “But everything is fine now, and later this
week he is returning to the normal training. ‘Borrachinha’ brought
an excellent team of [sparring partners] to help him there. [Eric]
Albarracin brought two wrestlers from Uzbequistan.”
Shortly thereafter, Albarracin sent a message to Sherdog.com
correcting Gracie on the nationalities of Costa’s training
partners.
“Actually we brought wrestlers from Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan and
Kazakhstan,” Albarracin wrote. “Also, Brazilian Douglas ‘Blade’
Rodriguez is here with us.”
Costa will face Chimaev at UFC 294 in a featured middleweight bout
at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 21.